Older Americans Now Outnumber Children in Nearly Half of US Counties(!)

According to US Census data  the US population is aging at its fastest rate since the late 19th century.

   Persons 65 and older grew faster than younger demos

From 2023 to 2024, the 65-and-over demo grew 3.1 percent, while the group 18-and-younger dropped by 0.2 percent.

The number of younger persons still outnumbers over 65  73 million to 62 million, but older persons outnumber younger ones in nearly half of US counties.

Older demos outnumber younger persons in 11 US states.  In 2020 Maine, Florida and Vermont were the only states where this was true, but since then, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia have joined them.

The region with the highest median (average) is the Northeast, 46 years, while the west and south had the lowest at 38.4 and 38.8 years.

The number of US metro areas with more older persons than young grew from 58 to 112 between 2020 and 2024.  The reason for these changes, say experts, is in part the aging Baby Boomer generation, as they head toward retirement.  Various opinions are given about why the younger numbers are declining, some experts say economic and other factors are causing parents to wait longer before having children, or consider having smaller familes.

The two fastest growing ethnic groups were Hispanics at 2.9 percent , but Asian populations grew 4.1